Thanks to our professional networks, I recently had two occasions to participate as a panelist/speaker in a "Professional Preparation" class (I would never pass up such an opportunity!). Kimberly Silk at the University of Toronto and Cabot Yu and Terri Tomchyshyn at the University of Ottawa have been inviting their colleagues to share insights and advice with LIS students in the courses they teach as adjunct faculty, and we colleagues appreciate the chance to meet and interact with soon-to-be new colleagues. In both cases, the theme of "salesmanship" or "crafting compelling arguments for investments, initiatives, or hiring" was a prominent topic of discussion - and understandably, the hiring part is top of mind for the members of the class.
It's encouraging to read stories like the piece on impending information technology labor shortages in Canada at http://business.financialpost.com/2011/03/29/tech-labour-crunch-looming-in-canada/, yet the takeaway is that information professionals may not obviously be courted by organizations needing to fill their information technology positions. For classes like Kim's and Cabot's/Terri's, I endeavor to stress the fact that employment opportunities do exist - but we must connect the dots for the potential employers. In my work, I encounter many individuals who have positions focusing heavily on knowledge acquisition, sharing, and analysis - and I always think "ah, such work would be just the ticket for an information professional". The hitch is that managers in organizations with openings whose job titles include such words as "analyst" or "officer" may be unaware how closely the LIS graduates' skill sets match the demands of the job. We can, and should, do whatever we can to raise awareness generally about the versatility of LIS qualifications!
One suggestion I give job seekers is to examine job postings broadly to identify ones using language suggesting they are "information centric" and then to apply using the business terminology appropriate for the hiring organization. Easier said than done, of course - but what's to lose? The exercise of stating our skills, past work, and accomplishments in terms meaningful for the hiring teams can only help us get better at convincing potential employers we have what it takes to be highly productive in countless environments. As examples, consider how much public policy or administration, client relations, and fund raising have in common as a result of their reliance on information and knowledge management - and then consider how pervasive intensive work with data is in business and public sector settings.
Of course, per the story referenced above, any information professional could benefit from thinking about enhancing his or her technical skills - but let's not overlook the opportunities available right now among organizations looking for talented employees.
